Serving head



May 2l, 1935. c. B. FANTONE ET A1. 2,002,225

SERVING HEAD Filed July lo, 1954 Patented May 21, 1935 UNITED STATES'SERVI-N G HEAD Charles B. Fantone, Lyndhurst, and Reuben M. Jameson,Teaneck, N. J., assignors to Syncro Machine Company, Arlington, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey Application July 1.0, 1934, Serial No. 734,454

17 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in serving head such as areemployed on machines for applying a strand or web in the form of ahelical wrap around another strand.

More specifically the invention relates to improvements in serving headsas employed on machines for applying a helically wound insulatingcovering upon a conductor.

The basic object of this invention is to provide means whereby thetension on the covering, strand or web is maintained uniform andconstant by compensating for the ls in weight and diameter of the cop orspool from which the Wrapping strip is supplied.

These and many other objects as will appear from the followingdisclosure are secured by means of this invention.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction,arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be described infull detail in the following specification in conjunction with theattached drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view through the major portion ofa serving head constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure l;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical, central, cross sectional detailed view.

As is well known in this art a serving head is a device by means ofwhich one strand or web may be helically wound in adjacent or overlyinglayers around another strand, wirey or the like which is usuallyadvanced longitudinally of its length during the Winding operation.

In the case of electrical conductors such serving heads operate to applyfor example, a narrow strip and insulating material in the form of ahelical wrap around the wire in overlapping turns to provide aninsulating casing therefor. 'I'he insulating wrap is usually in the formof a narrow, extremely thin ribbon, which is wrapped around alongitudinally advancing conduct-or at a high rate of speed. In order toinsure a perfectly finished product and to prevent breaking of theinsulating web during wrapping, it is desirable to provide means tocompensate for the loss in weight of the cop or spool and the reductionin diameter thereof as the insulating strip which is supplied therefromis paid off. At high speeds the centrical forces involved impose strainson the insulating web which vary between rather wide limits as the coploses weight and diameter.

The structure of this invention compensates at these high speeds for theloss in weight and diameter of the cop, thereby insuring a uniformtension on the insulating strip. This insures a uniform .product andminimizes the danger of breakage of the strip during its operation tothe conductor.

The manner i-n which the objects of this invention are accomplished willnow be fully discussed in connection with the drawing. The serving headcomprises a vertical shaft or spindle I upon which the serving headparts are mounted and by means of which they are operated. This shaft isprovided with a central, longitudinal bore `2 through which the wire orstrand upon which the wrapping is applied longitudinally moves.

The spindle I is caused to revolve from any suitable power source suchas by direct connection to an electrical motor. The wire advancingthrough the spindle I passes through the wire .guide nut 23, the nosepiece 24 and the control nut II, all of which are well known in the art.Mounted upon the spindle I is the collar 5 to which the base plate 3 issecured which, in turn, supports the outer protecting casing Il. Withinthe casing 4 is another base plate 6 which is secured to the collar bymeans of machine screws as shown. TheV base plate E is likewise providedwith an enclosing casing 8. The casings 4 and 8 are preferably ofcylindrical cross section. Mounted upon the base plate 6 is therotatable guide spindle 1. The features of ccnstruction thus fardescribed are likewise old and well known in the art and by themselvesform no part of this invention.

The present invention is concerned with the rotatable spindle and themounting therefor upon which the supply cop is mounted. Slidable uponbut keyed thereto for rotation with spindle I, is a cup shaped disc 9.v'Ihe sliding action of the disc 9 is accomplished by the key I'Iengaging with the key Way I8 in the spindle I. A plurality of coilsprings I0 are interposed between the base plate 6 and the disc 9. Thesesprings are distributed on a circle concentric with the shaft I and thedisc 9. Mountedl within the flange of the disc 9 is an annular ring I5having a semi-circula'r top edge as shown in Figure 1. This ring ispreferably made of some suitable material such as for example any of thewell known oilless bearing metals which are frequently made of bronze.This ring is secured to the disc 9 for rotation therewith. Likewisesplined to the shaft I by means of the keys I2 and 2I respectively, arethe ball bearing retainers or races II and 2G which are permittedsliding movement on the shaft I but are caused to revolve therewith. Thekeys I2 and ZI likewise operate in the key way I8 on the shaft I.

Secured to the lower end of the bearing member I I is a flange disc I3which engages the upper end of the spring I 4 which encircles the shaftI and rests at its lower end on the disc 9. Rotatably supported upon thebearing members II and 2li by means of balls or rollers, is the copspindle I9 which is mounted between these bearing members for movementtherewith. The low-v er end of the cop spindle I9 encloses the bearingmember II which is loosely retained therein by means of the threadedcollar I6. The upper bearing member 20 is seated vwithin the upper endof the cop spindle I9 and loosely held therein by means of the threadedcollar or ring 22. Threadedly mounted upon the upper end of spindie I isa nut 23 which is provided witha pair of diametrically opposed vverticalbores as is clear from Fig. 4, forming small cylinders for the pistonson the ends vof the plungers 25. These plungers project through thelower face of the nut 23 and have their rounded ends contacting with theupper surface of a ring 24 mounted upon 'the upper end of the copspindle I9. This engagement is eifected by means of light springs 26mounted in the chambers in nut 23 and held therein under adjustabletension by means of the screw plugs 21.

As `is clear from Figs. 3 and 4, the upper end of the bearing member 20is provided on its outer circumference with a plurality of verticalgrooves 29 which are engaged by the balls 30 which arediametricallyarrangedas shown in Fig. 3. This engagement is effected bymeans of springs 3| which are adjustably engaged by the screw plugs 3i?.By this construction the nut 23 may be adjusted up and down on thespindle I to vary the pressure which springs 26 exert upon the plungers25 and they in turn exert on'the ring 24. This adjustment isrnotprevented by the spring pressed balls 32 whichare provided however tomaintain the adjustment when it is made.V

It may also be noted that the device is practical and effective if thesprings I Il are omitted althoughl these springs are preferablyemployed. The springs Ill are short, vrelatively rigid springs withrespect to the longer, more iiexible spring YI d. The tension on thevarious springs IU, I 4 and 25 is adjusted so that when a loaded cop isplaced upon the top spindle I9 the `flange on the lower end of thatspindle will engage the rounded upper edge of the ring I5 under suchtension that the web beingfed from the cop will be under Ythe correcttension for the particular operating speed of the machine. As is wellknown the strand is fed from the cop around the rotatable guide 'I andvthence up through the nose piece 28'where it is Wrapped around theconductor passing longitudinally therethrough as the serving headrevolves. As the cop loses weight the pressure on spring I4 decreaseswith the result that this spring tends to raise the cop spindle awayfrom the ring I5. The load on springs Iii is reduced in like amount withthe result that they urge the disc 9 and the ring I 5 upwardly intocontact with the flange of the cop spindle so that the frictionalresistance to rotationthereof remains constant notwithstanding the lossin weight of the cop. This action is accomplished as stated beforebecause of the difference in length and relative stiffness of thesprings IIB and I4. Y

.As the cop continues to lose weight it is like- Wise losing diameterand the load on the springs IIJ and I I continuesr to decrease. Thereduction in diameter is gradually tending to increase the tension onthe strand (the pull on the strand being the only vforce that causesrelative rotation of the cop spindle I9 on the main spindle I).

The continued decrease in weight causes further eXtension of the springsI I? and I4 so that the frictional engagement between the flange of thecop spindle and the ring I5 decreases which compensates for theincreasing tension in the strand due to the reduction in diameter of thecop. Since the springs I Il are relatively short, their effect isgradually eliminated as the cop loses weight and they become extendedwith the result that the effective spring I I becomes increasingly moreimportant and reduces the frictional engagement between the ring I5 andthe cop spindle. As the cop approaches the empty condition and acondition of minimum diameter the pressurebetween the ring I5and theflange of the cop spindle I 9 becomes practically zero; the cop nowbeing so light that the spring I4 has moved the cop spindlesubstantially out of engage-` ment with the ring I5.

From the above discussion the action of springs 25 has not beenconsidered since they impose a very minute pressure on the ringr 2li andhence only slightly increase the effect of the weight of the cop.Howevenas the cop approachesminimum diameter, the plungers `25 acting ona smaller radius than the ring I5 offer a slight resistance to rotationof the cop spindle which is all that is necessary in View of the factthat the conditions of small diameters ,of the cop are supplying thetension in the'strand. The effect of the plungers 25 is therefore onlypresent in an appreciable amount at the very finish of the operation ofemptying the cop.

' From the above description it will be apparent that this inventionresides in certain principles of construction and operation which may beembodied by those skilled in the art in other physical forms withoutdeparture from the scope of the invention. We do not, therefore, desireto be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes ofillustration'but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

What We seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is: 1. Inaserving head asdescribed, a rotatable shaft, a cop spindle rotatablymounted on the shaft and spring pressed means acting on thecop spindlein opposition to subject it to substantially constant resistance torotation on the shaft as the cop decreases in weight and diameter.

' 2. In a serving head as described, a rotatable shaft, a cop spindiejournaled on the rotatable shaft and spring pressed members acting inopposition upon the ends of the cop spindlel to produce a constantresistance to rotation of the cop spindle on the rotatable shaft.

3. In a serving head as described the combination comprising a rotatablespindle, a pair of bearings slidably mounted on said spindle, a copspindle journaled on said bearings, a spring pressed friction memberbearing on one end of said cop spindle, and spring pressed means actingon the other end of the cop spindle whereby the cop spindle may movelongitudinally on the rotatable spindle under the infiuence of saidsprings and be subject to constant resistance to rotation on therotatable spindle as the weight and diameter of the cop decreases. Y

4. In a serving'head ,as described, a rotatable shaft, a cop spindlejournaled on said shaft, resilient means coacting with one end of thecop spindle to form therewith afriction clutch, and a spring pressedmeans at the other end of the cop spindle whereby when the frictionresistance to movement of the cop spindle on the rotatable shaftdecreases with the decreasing weight of the cop, the spring pressedmeans at the other end of the cop spindle providing suflicientresistance to movement of the cop spindle on the rotatable shaft for thecop of reduced diameter.

5. In a serving head as described, a rotatable shaft, cop spindlerotatably and slidably mounted on said shaft, a friction member engagingone end of the cop spindle, springs for maintaining said engagement anda plurality of spring pressed members acting on the cop spindle inopposition to said spring whereby the resistance to rotation of the copspindle on the rotatable shaft remains constant as the weight anddiameter of the cop decreases.

6. In a serving head, the combination comprising a rotatable spindle, abase plate mounted on said spindle, a cop spindle rotatably andlongitudinally movable on said spindle, a spring supported frictionmember mounted between the base plate and the spindle and resilientmeans for varying the pressure between the cop spindle and the frictionmember.

'7. A serving head as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a baseplate secured to said spindle for rotation therewith, a cop spindlerotatably and slidably mounted on said spindle, and a spring supportedannular member interposed between said cop spindle and said base plate,said member having a transversely curved edge of contact.

8. A serving head as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a baseplate secured to said spindle for rotation therewith, a cop spindlerotatably and slidably mounted on said spindle, a spring supportedcontact member on said rotatable spindle engaging said cop spindle and aspring means engaging the cop spindle for varying the pressure betweensaid spring supported contact member and said cop spindle.

9. A device as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a base platesecured thereto, a cop spindle rotatably and longitudinally movable onsaid spindle, a friction member slidably mounted on said spindle andmounted between the base plate and cop spindle; springs interposedbetween the friction member and the base plate and the friction memberand the cop spindle and yielding means acting on the cop spindle tooppose the action of said springs.

l0. A device as described comprising arotatable spindle, a base platesecured thereto, a cop spindle rotatably and longitudinally movable onsaid spindle, a friction member slidably mounted on said spindle andmounted between the base plate and cop spindle, springs interposedbetween the base plate and the friction member and spring pressedplungers acting on said cop spindle for varying the pressure on saidspring to Vary the frictional contact between the friction member andthe cop spindle.

11. A device as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a base platemounted on said spindle, a pair of opposed independent bearing membersslidably mounted on said spindle, a cop spindle carried by said bearingmembers and rotatable thereon, spring means interposed between said baseplate and cop spindle, said means frictionally engaging the cop spindleunder constant pressure and resilient means for varying the pressurebetween said means and cop spindle,

said spindle being slidable towards said resilient means but resistedthereby.

12. A device as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a base platesecured to said spindle, a pair of bearing members keyed to said spindleand slidably mounted thereon, a cop spindle rotatably mounted on saidbearing members, an annular member keyed to said first spindle andslidably mounted thereon, springs interposed between the annular memberand the base plate and a spring interposed between the annular memberand the cop spindle.

13. A device as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a base platesecured to said spindle, a pair of bearing members keyed to said spindleand slidably mounted thereon, a cop spindle rotatably mounted on saidbearing members, an annular member keyed to said first spindle andslidably mounted thereon, springs interposed between the annular memberand the base plate, a longitudinally adjustable nut on said firstspindle and spring pressed means interposed between the nut and the copspindle, to oppose the action of the springs interposed between theannular member and the base plate.

14. A device as described comprising a rotatable spindle, a pair ofbearing members splined to said spindle, a cop spindle rotatably mountedon said bearing members, a base plate secured to said first mentionedspindle, an annular member splined to first mentioned spindle betweenthe cop spindle and the base plate, a spring interposed between the baseplate and said annular member, a spring interposed between said annularmember and the adjacent splined bearing member and yielding means actingon the opposite end of said cop spindle.

15. In a serving head as described the combination comprising arotatable shaft, a cop spindle slidably and rotatably mounted upon saidshaft, a spring pressed friction member engaging the cop spindle at oneend and a spring pressed member engaging the cop spindle at the otherend whereby the resistance to rotation of the cop spindle on said shaftremains constant as the cop loses weight and diameter, whereby thespindle may move in a direction away from the friction member.

16. I n a serving head as described the combination comprising arotatable shaft, a plate secured to said shaft with rotation therewith,a cop spindle rotatably and slidably mounted upon said shaft, a springpressed member slidably mounted on said shaft and engaging one end ofthe cop spindle, a spring interposed between said member and said copspindle and a spring pressed member engaging the opposite end of the copspindle.

17. In a serving head as described the combination comprising arotatable shaft, a plate secured to said shaft with rotation therewith,a cop spindle rotatably and slidably mounted upon said shaft, a springpressed member slidably mounted on said shaft and engaging one end ofthe cop spindle, a spring interposed between said member and said copspindle and a nut secured to said shaft adjacent the other end of thecop spindle and spring pressed members slidably mounted upon said nutand engaging the adjacent end of the cop spindle.

CHARLES B. FANTONE. REUBEN M. JAMESON.

